Overlooked Treasures!

I left home late last night.  I was in a hurry for a meeting. Then, a rainbow tapped on the side mirror of my truck and followed me all the way to town playing hide and seek behind the curves of the road. The sun shone a spotlight on all the trees new Fall outfits and created a golden glow that warmed my soul.  I was glad I was late. Otherwise, I would have missed

yesterday's present from God.

Double rainbow.  This photo was pieced together with two shots that were taken in Story City, Iowa

And so it goes so many times in the "screen era" that we live.  Hurry, rush, text, face book, twitter...

Today, stop and take a breath!  Look around and see what "presents" you are missing.

Find the simple joys, amazing beauty and overlooked treasures that whisk by you each day.

Ideas with a kid twist.

1.  Go on a scavenger hunt.  Shout out things that are cool or you never noticed before.

2.  Set a timer and give everyone so many minutes to come up with as many things as they can find in that length of time.  Then take turns sharing with each other the overlooked treasures that are around you.

3.  If you are driving, the person riding "shot gun" is the treasure spotter.  This person is the look-out to spot hidden treasures with only things seen in the side vehicle mirror!  Switch turns, and now it is the person in the back seat's turn to spot treasures only seen from the side window.

4.  Go for a walk down the road/street or in a park.  Decide on stopping points as you move along the trail.  At each point stop and share all the different things people have seen.  You might even have to backtrack when someone says, "Where?  I didn't see that!"  Or just enjoy the walk, pointing out things as travel along.

5.  Find a comfortable place to sit (couch, deck/patio, yard etc)  Just sit and look around you.  What do you notice?  How do you feel?  What do you see?  hear?  smell? 

6.  Get comfortable in an outdoor location with a pair of binoculars.  What can you find?  How do things look differently than viewed with the eye alone? 

Maybe you would like to write in a journal about what you see and how you feel about it;  or, draw pictures/sketches of the treasures you find.

What else can you think of?

Good Luck with your treasure hunt!